Notebook: No. 3 Oklahoma's Second Half Spark Too Much For Men's Basketball

After 20 minutes of action, the Harvard men’s basketball team (5-7) looked to be on its way to a Christmas Day upset, leading the undefeated No. 3/2 Oklahoma Sooners (11-0) by two at the break in the final of the Diamond Head Classic.

The second half was another story. It took Harvard 19 minutes to build a six-point lead, but Oklahoma just a minute and a half to erase it. The Sooners were even more opportunistic with the next two minutes, lengthening the lead to double digits. By the time Harvard coach Tommy Amaker took a timeout five minutes into the second stanza, the lead was 19.

Although the Crimson would later cut the lead to five, precocious Sooners forward Buddy Hield would not be denied. Hield, who set the tournament record with a combined 86 points across the three games, scored 10 straight Sooner points late in the second. His three-point play with two minutes to go pushed the Oklahoma lead to eight and prevented Harvard from getting within two possessions the rest of the way. The Crimson fell by a final score of 83-71.

“[We] had our opportunities to grind away at it a little bit more, but it wasn’t meant to be,” Amaker said. “They are very good.”

TAKING CHARGE

While Hield was the story for the Sooners, junior forward Zena Edosomwan stole the show on the Harvard side. Edosomwan had 25 points and 16 rebounds, the former statistic breaking a career high he had set just two games ago. The big man made 10 of his 20 field goal attempts and provided stout field goal defense for the Crimson, which held the Sooner front line to just 14 points.

“Zena was outstanding,” Amaker said. “We need some more help on the perimeter a little bit but he’s our guy on the interior and we played through him and you can see why.”

Edosomwan started the scoring for the Crimson, taking a feed from freshman point guard Tommy McCarthy for a rim-rattling dunk. The junior posted up repeatedly throughout the first half, attacking every big man in the Sooner rotation without fear. Oklahoma starting center Khadeem Lattin, who had set a career high with 17 points in the semifinals against Hawaii, played just 24 ineffective minutes through foul trouble. Backup Akolda Manyang had similar struggles containing Edosomwan, finishing with more fouls than points and rebounds combined.

Debuting the James Harden “let me eat” celebration for the first time this season, Edosomwan was an essential part of Harvard’s comeback. At one point, the junior had seven straight points as Harvard cut the lead to five late, including consecutive makes where he was fouled inside.

“I think a lot of guys have more confidence,” Edosomwan said. “I think you see our team coming together so hopefully you see us build on this and make strides.”

For the weekend, Edosomwan averaged 20.3 points and 13 rebounds, earning a spot on the All-Tournament team.

RAINING TRIPLES

Playing against the second-best three-point shooting team in the country, the Crimson looked the better marksmen during the opening stanza. Harvard had five of its nine triples in the opening period as freshman Corey Johnson and junior Corbin Miller continued their tournament-long assault from deep, combining for four.

However, both Johnson and Miller went cold in the second half—making just two of their nine attempts. While freshman Tommy McCarthy heated up, making three of the five treys he attempted, Harvard made just three of its first 10 shots from long distance as it tried to battle back.

The scene on the other side of the court could not have been more different. Although the Sooners and Crimson both finished the game 9-of-24 from behind the arc, the Sooners made six of their 13 second-half attempts, including their first five. The last one, a deep bomb from Hield with senior Agunwa Okolie in his face, pushed the lead to double digits with five minutes to go.

“They are explosive and I think they displayed that,” Amaker said.

—Staff writer David Freed can be reached at david.freed@thecrimson.com.